


The Rose Champion

by DynastyKit



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Elder Scrolls Online, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Almost Self-Insert, Bets & Wagers, Competition, Debauchery, Demons, Dogs, Drugs, Friendship, Gambling, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Partying, Possible smut, Succubi & Incubi, This Should Be A Fun Fic, Trials, Unlikely Hero, oblivion, planes of oblivion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-02-12 21:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12968961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DynastyKit/pseuds/DynastyKit
Summary: We all know about the Champions of those stuffy Daedric Princes like Meridia, Mehrunes Dagon, or Boethia, but what about the Champions of the fun Daedric Princes?This is the story of those who seek to become to most fun Daedric Prince's Champion.Although it's all fun and games with Sanguine and Clavicus Vile, fun and games can sometimes be deadly.**OFF OF HIATUS**





	1. How to Become a Competitor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for checking out my fic!
> 
> This fic is a little side project while I work on my main Elder Scrolls series. This idea just came to me one day, and it was too good to let it pass. This fic should be a little more fun and less serious than what I usually write. I'm going to dabble in comedy and (this is a BIG maybe) smut, which I don't usually do. (I will change the rating if I do include smut.)
> 
> This is tagged Oblivion, Skyrim, and Online, because time is sorta irrelevant in this fic, and I want to give it the most exposure it can get. Anyways, thanks for reading. Leave a comment if you want!
> 
> Little trigger warning for suicidal thoughts in the prologue, by the way.

Prologue

My name is Calcito Plexibuss, or at least it was. I was a simple Imperial, living in the simple Koeglin Village in Daggerfall. 

Perhaps simple isn’t the best word… Boring is more accurate, when describing both I and the town. I was already 35, and I had nothing going on in my life. Nothing to live for. I had no wife, no children, no friends. I worked as a lowly clerk for my cousin’s potion shop. Even my cousin and I hardly talked, but he allowed me to hang around and work for him because he’s a rather decent person.

So, how did I get into this lonely existence? This existence where I went home to a lonely one room shack each night, and read books to put me to sleep? Well, it isn’t my fault. 

My parents had me very late in their lives, while they were in their forties. They were very protective of me, even up until my late teens. They never let me leave Koeglin Village, and were very content with me inheriting their small shop in Koeglin Village and never leaving. 

Usually, kids with overprotective parents rebel and go have fun— but not me. Even though I had ample opportunities to escape with other teens on a weekend trip to Wayrest, I never did it. I never wanted to upset or disappoint my parents. So thanks to that, I never learned what the outside world could hold for me. I never made any friends. I never had any fun. Although, perhaps some of that was due to my social anxiety too. 

Both my parents passed away during my mid-twenties and I inherited their shop and our house. Unfortunately, I lacked a few qualities to keep the potion shop running. I was never a bright scholar, so I struggled to make potions, know what ingredients I needed, and help customers when they asked very specific questions. I knew my cousin was an alchemist, and he agreed to buy the shop from me. 

Well, that was a long winded way to tell you that I had nothing going on in my life. Although each painfully boring day slugged by slowly, time overall passed quickly. Before I knew it, I found myself in my 30s. My greatest regret was that there was a lack of any fulfillment in my life— especially love. 

Love at my age, especially with my look, was impossible to find. I certainly had no warrior’s physique, and every day I woke up with a little bit less hair than I had the previous night. I’d even torture myself every night by reading romance novels and the Lusty Argonian Maid; a constant reminder of my seemingly eternal loneliness. 

To put it bluntly I was miserable. Completely depressed. I hate to admit it, but thoughts of suicide crossed my mind every day. I wished I could work up the courage to end it all. End my pitiful existence. 

It may be difficult to read, but I feel that you should know just how close I was. The night before it all started, I held that knife to my neck. I got so far as to actually break a bit of skin with the knife— the farthest I had ever gotten. But I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to be remembered as a miserable person who killed himself— if anyone even remembered me at all. 

Now then, I’ll get started with the story you opened this book for: The story of The Rose Champion. 

\------

Chapter 1

The hissing cicadas woke me up slowly. My shack was comfortably warm, but a little stuffy in the middle of Midyear. I got out of bed and made tea, like I did every morning before work. 

I decided to enjoy my tea outside. As I stepped out into the warm summer air, a dune-hound ran up to me with her tail wagging; the top of her head reached my waist. It was Cheyenne, my neighbor’s dog. I smiled and sat down on the floor to pet her, and she happily licked my face. Perhaps it’s sad to say, but Cheyenne was one of my best friends. 

“Want a treat, girl?” I spoke to her in my best baby voice. Cheyenne cutely barked and spun around in a circle. I went inside for a moment, and brought a biscuit out for Cheyenne.

I enjoyed my morning tea with her for a few more minutes, before deciding that I should get to work. I petted Cheyenne once more, told her goodbye, and I was on my way. 

It was a typical day at work. Not many customers at all, and those that did enter were the usual ones. As the day was winding down, my cousin Ramus came in for his daily restock and to pick up the ledger for the day. 

“Evening, Calcito,” he said as he approached the counter.

“Evening, Ramus,” I responded as I handed him the daily ledger. Usually, that would be the end of our conversation— and the end of any interaction at all between us; however, today, he added something.

Ramus sighed and folded his arms on the counter after reading the ledger for a few moments. “Taxes keep going up.”

His tone was not happy. “Mhm,” I said as I turned around to straighten up some potions.

“This place used to get some pretty good profit. Now it won’t even pay for itself…” he continued.

I turned around to him slowly and asked, “What are you saying?” Even though I knew exactly what he was saying.

“I needed to talk through this with you, because it was your parents’ shop…” I looked him dead in the eye as he spoke; I felt my stomach drop. “I have to sell the shop, Calcito.” 

I slowly brought my hands up to my face and rubbed my temples. Even though I did not own the shop, it was one of the only sort of fulfilment I had in my life. Without the shop, I truly was nothing. I didn’t answer. 

“Calcito?” he asked as I was staring off into nothing, deep in thought.

“Sorry.” I finally gave him my attention again. 

“Look, Calcito. I’ve been saving up. I can give you a few months’ pay while you find other work,” Ramus tried sounding compassionate.

I set my elbow on the counter and leaned my head up on my hand. “When are you selling it?” 

“At the end of the day tomorrow… That’s why I didn’t bring in any stock.” Ramus put his hands on his hips. “Once tomorrow is over, feel free to take any potions you want. I have no use for them, and neither will the next owner.” 

I nodded. “Thanks, Ramus.”

“It’s been good working with you, Calcito.” He offered his hand to me, and I shook it. “I’m taking the wife to Wayrest. I’ll bring you your pay tomorrow, but that’s the last time we’ll see each other unless you come up to Wayrest.”

“It’s been good working for you.” I mustered up my best, fake smile as he left the shop.

I closed up the shop that day, and headed home to sulk. What would I do without the shop? It was the only form of interaction I had with other people. How would I find another job? 

These questions flew around my mind until I approached my shack, and saw Cheyenne sitting at my door. “Hey, girl,” I said as I approached her curiously. Cheyenne hopped up happily, and stayed near the door.

I wondered why she was here, and not at her owner’s house. In any case, I wasn’t going to let her stay outside, so I brought her into my home for the night. It was nice to have the company. 

Despite how poorly my day had been, I had something to look forward to. I picked up a new book a few days ago, and I was ready to read it in bed. It was an odd book that I never heard of before, and had no stated author. It was called “The Rose Champion.” 

The way I acquired this book was odd also. A couple weeks prior, a woman came into the shop. She wore black robes, and had a mask covering her face up to her eyes.

She seemed panicked as she asked, “Sir! Is there bookshop around here! I really need some coin, and I only have this book to sell!” 

“There isn’t…” I answered, now seeing an opportunity for a new book. “But I’m an avid reader. How much do you want for the book?”

“Oh, thank you, sir! Just ten gold!” she exclaimed with a sigh of relief, quickly shoving the book onto the counter.

I gave her the gold, and she practically disappeared from the shop.

I won’t transcribe the entire first chapter of the book, but I’ll give you the general idea. The book opened up by describing an event known as “The Eternal Party.” The Eternal Party was a party held by the Daedric Prince Sanguine in Oblivion. It took place on an island that was truly paradise. It was said that the time of day was always sunset, and that the weather was always the perfect temperature. The water was always crystal clear, and warm. The island housed a grand castle, perfect for throwing the greatest parties in Oblivion. 

It was Sanguine’s main hangout in his realm of Oblivion. He gathered up Tamriel’s greatest partiers to indulge in an endless night of debauchery. The partygoers partied to their heart’s content— literally. Partiers partied until they died, or they were cast out by Sanguine for being too boring. The alcohol, music, sex, and drugs are endless. It is truly a party paradise. It mentioned that Sanguine even hosted other Daedric Princes from time to time— especially Clavicus Vile who loved to meddle with mortals at the party. 

Next, the book described the Rose Champion. The Rose Champion was Sanguine’s Champion, and the ultimate party animal. Sanguine tasked him with keeping the Eternal Party fresh and fun, and helping with entertaining the other Daedric Princes. However, the Rose Champion had other duties. The Rose Champion must spread worship of Sanguine throughout Tamriel by hosting wild parties and making even the snobbiest of Tamriel’s inhabitants loosen up. The Rose Champion is given great power by Sanguine, and potential champions must prove themselves in great trials. The details of these trials were supposed to be revealed further in the book, but it is known that most who attempt it fail. And the first chapter of the book ended there.

I flipped to the next page, only to find a mostly blank page. It only read “Chapter 2: Entrance to the Trials” but as I flipped through the book, all the rest of the pages were empty.

I set the book down, disappointed, and tried to go to sleep. I could feel Cheyenne at the foot of my bed. It was nice to have a dog around. I wondered how much one costs.


	2. Entering the Trials

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***IMPORTANT***
> 
> Chapter 2 has been changed to better fit the direction of the story. I will be taking it off hiatus.

The next morning, I woke up and made tea like I always did. Cheyenne stayed curled up on my bed for the entire morning— admittedly it wasn’t very comfortable sharing my bed with a dog half my size. She finally woke up once I opened the door. I watched as she slowly got up and climbed off of my bed, yawning and lazily stretching before prancing outside. 

The dog walked towards her owner’s house, and I hoped that they hadn’t missed her for the night. I went to work, and set up the shop for its final day. A few more people than normal visited the shop today, which was nice. Some came even just to offer their condolences to me. It was a nice gesture, but it would have been even nicer if they had actually came and bought something once in awhile to keep the store afloat. 

As the day began to end, Ramus stopped by the shop to give me my pay. It was a relatively hefty amount; a few hundred septims stuffed into a sack. Once he left, I began to pack some potions into another sack. I gathered the most expensive, useful, and admittedly, interesting potions that I could. 

During my packing, the door opened and a young, beautiful Dunmer stepped inside. “Hello?” she said meekly. 

“Evening,” I responded. “We’re closing down, but let me know if you see anything you’d like.” There were still some potions lining the shelves. 

“Oh no. I’m just looking around and getting to know the town,” the woman smiled as she approached the counter. The Dunmer was slim and a few inches shorter than my six foot frame. She had burgundy hair, and large, glowing red eyes. Her clothes were tight, and fit her figure snugly. 

“Not much for you here, I guess.” I chuckled. “This potion shop is going out of business, and I’m not sure what’s replacing it.” 

“Oh no! I’m sorry! Was it your shop?” she asked in a concerned tone, with her mouth open and eyebrows furled.

“Sort of.” I shrugged and sighed.

“Oh, you look a little down,” she said as she placed a hand on her chest. “I think I might have something that’ll cheer you up, stranger.”

“What’s that?” I asked while rubbing my chin. 

“I’m throwing a little party tonight. A bonfire. You can come if you want!” she said with a smile.

A party? Not really my thing, especially since I’d never been to a party before. Why would she invite me? Despite my hesitation, I knew I couldn’t deny such a beautiful woman. “Sure.” I mustered up a smile.

“Great!” the Dunmer basically jumped with joy. “It’s going to be just outside of the Koeglin Fields in a few hours. The fire should be huge! You won’t miss it!”

“Alright. Thanks.” I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into.”Should I bring anything?”

“Oh no. Just yourself. Everything else is taken care of. Oh! I almost forgot. It is a masked party. Do you have a mask?” she asked.

“Uh…” I paused to think, even though I was sure I didn’t have a mask. “I don’t think so, but—”

“Here! Take this!” the Dunmer happily cut me off as she handed me an ornate, black masquerade mask. 

“Thanks, again,” I said as I took the mask. 

“I’ve gotta get going and help set up! I’ll see you later, Calcito!” And with that, she was gone before I could say another word. I wondered how she knew my name, I couldn’t remember now if I had told her it or not. I certainly didn’t know her name. 

I closed down the shop, and left with my potions. I examined the mask on the way home. It was made out of some sturdy, but flexible material. It was cold and smooth to the touch. It was also embroidered with gold and some diamonds. I figured the diamonds were not real, until I drug my finger over them and felt their solid exterior. Could they be real? Surely not. 

As I approached my home, Cheyenne was once again sitting at my doorstep. Her ears perked up and her tail wagged as I approached, and she came running towards me. “Hey, girl. What are you doing here again?” I asked as I petted her. 

I decided not to take in Cheyenne for a second night, and instead walked over to her owner’s house. I knocked, and got no answer. I yelled, and still nothing. I noticed Cheyenne had been whimpering the whole time, so I tried to comfort her. Maybe her owner’s abandoned her and the house? It seemed unlike the religious couple, so I decided to go inside. When I opened the door, the house was dark and empty. I saw a full pot over the fire pit, and dipped my finger in it; it was ice cold. The only place left to check was the basement. 

As soon as I began to walk down the stairs, the most peculiar aromas hit me. They were not bad or good aromas, just very interesting smells. I reached the bottom of the stairs, and the basement was pitch black. I went back up stairs for a moment, lit the fire, grabbed a torch off of the wall and lit it with the fire. As I began to head back downstairs, Cheyenne stayed upstairs and whined; I knew that whatever I was about to see could not be good.  
The sight in the basement was not horrifying, but it was bizarre. My neighbors— a priest and his wife —were both naked and motionless. The man was laid out across the floor, while the woman was sitting in a chair with her face down on a table in front of her. The floor was riddled with dozens upon dozens of empty alcohol bottles, and the table housed some strange bottles and smoking contraptions.

I went and called the town guards, and they came to investigate the scene. “By the Nine,” one guard said with a chuckle as they saw the scene. “Looks like these two partied a little too hard.”

The other guard investigated the bottles and smoking pipes on the table. “It’s skooma alright.”

“Who’d of thought these two would’ve got into drugs?” the guard said as he checked their pulses. 

“People aren’t always as they seem,” the other guard answered. “You can worship the Divines by day, and fall to the Daedra by night.”

“Well, Calcito, thank you for reporting this,” the guard said to me. 

“What’ll happen to their belongings?” I asked.

“The church will auction them off, I’m sure,” he answered. 

“And the dog?” I looked down at Cheyenne who was sitting at my feet. 

“She seems to fancy you. Why not keep it?” the guard said with a shrug. 

I nodded; it would be nice to have Cheyenne around. “I’ll let you get back to your work,” I said before leaving the house with Cheyenne. 

Once I got home, I started getting ready for the party. I dressed in my best clothes, combed my hair, and put on the fancy mask— interestingly enough, it fit perfectly on my face. Actually, the mask fit so well that I could not pull it off. I tried as hard as I could to pull the mask off, but it was like the mask attached itself to my face. I sighed, and tried not to panic. Surely that Dunmer women could get this mask off at the party. 

It was sunset, and time for the party. As I began to leave my house, Cheyenne stood in front of my door and barked at me. “What are you doing?” I asked her as I stepped over her to get to my door. She continued to bark, even after I forced her out of the way and the opened the door. 

I left the house quickly, and tried to close the door so Cheyenne could not get out, but the large dog managed to wiggle her way out of my house. I sighed, and she just looked at me with her tongue out and tail wagging. “I guess you really want to come with me, huh?” Cheyenne barked and spun around in a circle. 

“I just hope they don’t mind you coming to the party…” I said before walking out to the Koeglin Fields. 

Even as night was falling, I could see quite a large crowd of people in the Koeglin Field with a large bonfire in the middle. There must have been hundreds of people scattered about the field— even more people than the Koeglin Village housed. 

As I entered the field, I felt a little nauseous as I passed by groups of people dancing and drinking, and just having a good time, but the feeling faded away quickly. I sought out the Dunmer woman from earlier, and easily found her as she stood next to the bonfire. She wore a similar halfmask as mine, which went around her eyes and nose.

“You made it Calcito!” she said happily as she hugged me. That was the first hug I had in a very long time.

“Thank you for inviting me!” I exclaimed as we broke the hug. “You know, I never got your name,” I added.”

“Oh! How silly of me! I’m Resivi Indoril,” she said with a smile. Suddenly, Cheyenne barked which made Resivi jump suddenly. “Hey! What is that mutt doing here!?” she suddenly shouted angrily.

I looked at her curiously, unsure of why her demeanor changed so quickly. “This is my neigh—” I paused. “This is my dog. She just wouldn’t let me leave home without her.”

Resivi huffed. “Whatever. Just don’t let that dirty thing near me,” Resivi growled. “Anyways, help yourself to some drink and go conversate with the other guests,” Resivi said as she turned back to her happy self. “I have to get ready to light the bonfire.” 

“Hey, wait—” Before I could finish speaking, Resivi was gone, basically disappearing. I wanted to ask her about the mask, and why it was stuck on my face. I sighed, and wandered over to one of the many barrels full of alcohol. 

At the barrel, a fair-skinned woman was gingerly filling a mug with the ale. I walked over next to her, and she said, “Excuse me,” softly as she stepped aside.

I noticed her mug was only half full. “You can finish filling it,” I said with a smile. 

She looked up at me with a smile of her own. Her eyes were a deep brown and her black hair fell above her shoulders. She wore a white mask, decorated with gold and black gems. “Oh, I’m not much for drinking,” she said shyly. 

“Me either.” I chuckled as I grabbed a mug from a table next to the barrel, and filled it half way with the ale as well.

We stood next to each other for a little while, sipping our drinks. We must have looked pretty awkward around all the other fun and conversation. 

“So,” the woman said. “Are you the party type?”

I shook my head. “Not really, it’s been years,” I lied.”

She smiled and nodded in agreement. “Not since I was a teen.”

“Me too.”

“So…” She looked around at the other partygoers. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a…” I was not sure how to answer. “I just sold my potion shop. How about you?”

“Oh, I’m just a librarian,” she said.

“Oh really? Where at?” 

“Skingrad.” 

“Skingrad? You’re a little far from home, aren’t you?” I said with a chuckle.

“What do you mean?” She gave me a rather serious look.

“Well, I-” Maybe this woman was more drunk than I thought. “I wouldn’t call it a short walk to here from Skingrad.”

“It was…” She gave me an odd look as she sipped her drink. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“I’m fine.” I scratched my head. “Are you feeling alright?” 

“I’m fine too…” she said lowly as she adjusted the collar of her shirt. 

“You do know we’re in Koeglin, right? In Daggerfall?” I asked. 

“No…” she squinted her eyes at me. “We’re just outside of Skingrad…” 

“Okay…” I finished my ale, and decided not to pursue that conversation further. I glanced at the woman once more, and examining her mask reminded me of my own mask. “Hey, where did you get that mask from?” I asked.

“The Dunmer who invited me here gave it to me,” she answered. “I can’t seem to take it off, though…” she uttered lowly.

“Me neither!” I said quickly. “I mean, my mask won’t come off either.”

“I’m starting to think there’s something very strange about this party…” she brushed her hair to the side. 

“Don’t tell me that you just met the Dunmer today, and she invited you to this party randomly,” I asked.

“I did…” she said as she set down her mug. “I was just told that the Skingrad Library would be shutting down. I was in tears when she came in and invited me…” 

“Almost the same thing happened to me…” I also put my mug down. 

Before we could continue the conversation, I suddenly felt an intense heat and saw a bright light from the corner of my eye. I turned around and saw that the bonfire had been lit. It was not an average bonfire though, as the flames were purple, blue, and dark red; it was a beautiful sight.

“Gather round, everyone!” I heard Resivi’s voice come from near the bonfire. Everyone quickly drifted over around the bonfire and Resivi. She was standing next to three other Dunmer females. “Welcome, everyone! I see some of you are already starting to realize that this is no average party!”

Before she continued, the four Dunmer were suddenly enveloped in a black mist, and when the mist dissipated, there were four beautiful Dremora standing in their place. Their skin stayed grey, but their hair turned a lighter, blood red color. Their clothes were now replaced by some fancy armor, which did not cover much skin. They each also grew horns of varying sizes, and bright red paint covered their faces. 

“Yes, we are Dremora, but do not be alarmed! We are not in the service of Molag Bal or Mehrunes Dagon… We serve Sanguine! The Daedric Prince of all things fun!” Resivi exclaimed happily.

“My sisters and I have invited you here to take part in the Trials, and have a chance to become Sanguine’s Rose Champion!” Resivi shouted, and it seemed that she expected some cheer from the crowd, but only got murmurs of confusion.

“Oh! Come on! Get excited! The Rose Champion is the greatest job any of your mortals could have!” Resivi continued. 

The Rose Champion? The one from the book? I wondered if any of this was really happening, or if I was in some sort of dream. 

A bright, large portal suddenly opened where the bonfire used to be. “We took special care in selecting all of you. We know all too well that you have nothing going in your lives, so why not take the chance?”

I looked around at everyone else. No one moved, but they all seemed to be contemplating it. I turned my gaze back to the portal, and realized that I really did have nothing else to live for. 

I took a step towards the portal, before the librarian woman next to me grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy! You can’t trust Daedra!” she exclaimed.

I sighed and shook my head. “There’s nothing here for me in Tamriel, so I might as well try Oblivion.” 

She let go of my arm, and looked down at the ground. “Are you sure about this?”

“No, but why not?” I said as I took another step towards the portal. “How many people get an opportunity like this?” The woman said nothing, but started following me. 

We both approached the portal. Resivi smiled at me as she stood next to the portal. “I’ll see you inside, Calcito,” she said with a wink. “Welcome to the Trials.”

I took a deep breath, and right as I was going to step through the portal, Cheyenne barked at me as she stood at my side. I kneeled down and rubbed her head. “You’ll be okay, Cheyenne, but I have to do this.”

I stood up, and stepped into the portal with the woman. The light was so bright that I had to close my eyes, and I felt my entire body grow hot. 

It only lasted for a few moments, as the next thing I knew, I was laying in some snow under a tree. I sat up slowly, and felt as refreshed as if I had just had a long night’s sleep. I looked around, and saw a new woman curled up in the snow a few feet away from me. Her back was turned to me, but she was totally naked and shivering. Truthfully, this was the first time I had ever had a nude woman near me. 

All I could see from behind was the woman’s long, silky hair; it was a dirty blonde color. She began to stir, and yawn suddenly. She rolled around and we locked eyes; her’s were a beautiful shade of light blue. She smiled at me, and sat up. Her smile turned to a frown as she looked around silently. However, as soon as she looked down at her body, she screamed and started to panic frantically. 

“Woah! It’s okay!” I tried to comfort her. 

She looked at me, but continued to panic and frantically look down at herself. 

“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Do you feel alright?” 

She opened her mouth, and it sounded like she was trying to speak. “A-Ah.”

In some odd way, she looked and even sounded somewhat familiar. “Just calm down. Do you know where you are?” I asked.

The woman shook her head, and sighed as she seemed to calm down. 

“Can you tell me your name?” I asked as I stood and offered my hand to help her up.

“Sh-Sh…” The woman tried to speak again, but she could not get a word out. She reached her hand out to mine, and rubbed my palm for a few seconds before she managed to grip my hand. She stood slowly, and her legs were wobbly as if she was a baby standing for the first time. Eventually, she managed to stand up straight and she smiled at me. 

I slowly pulled my hand away from her, and as she tried to take a step she suddenly lost her balance and fell forward towards me. I caught her, and helped her back onto her feet, all the while she was continuing to shiver. I took off my shirt and handed it to her. She took a moment to put it on, as she struggled to get her arms through the sleeves. It did not cover her much, and she still looked cold so I took off my pants and gave them to her. The pants were even more of a struggle for her to put on, and I had to help her pull them up. Now I was the one freezing, standing in only in my underwear.

“Can you walk?” I asked her, not really expecting any response. Instead, she slowly, but successfully, took a step. 

She looked at me as she began to rub her throat. “W-Wa… Wa… Ter,” she uttered. 

“Oh, you’re thirsty?” I asked, realizing that I was pretty thirsty too. I looked around us; we were surrounded by barren trees and bushes covered with snow, though there was no snow falling at the moment. “I’m sure there’s a stream around here somewhere” 

I started to walk away, making sure the woman could keep up as she clumsily stumbled behind me. I wondered if she was some part of these Trials. 

Eventually, we approached a hill and slowly scaled it. As we reached the top and peered over, we saw a small village that housed a few dozen buildings. I saw some people walking around in the village, and they were all different races and ages. The one similarity between them, however, is that none of them wore clothes.


End file.
